Foundation garment



Jan. 4, 1944. c. s, MCMCHAEL 2,333,193

' FOUNDATION GARMENT Filed Aug. 12, 1941 2 sheets-sheet-l il, y; gg f A@ I A? #7 1;, I8 INVENTOR.

Jan. 4, 1944. c. s. McMlCHAEL FOUNDATION GARMENT Filed Aug. l2 1941 2 Shee'tS-Sheet 2 Y R E 1, 7m M J M# s; f C

Patented Jan. 4, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FOUNDATION GARMENT Application August 12, 1941, Serial No. 406,468

4 Claims.

This invention relates generally lto foundation garments, and more particularly to foundation garments having stretchable, elastic portions.

While my invention has been disclosed herein in its application to a girdle type of garment particularly adapted for womens wear, and encompassing the body portions from below the busts to the upperportions of the thighs, it will be obvious, after the invention is fully understood, that it is not necessarily so restricted, and that particularly as to certain phases thereof it may have other applications. In particular I may mention its suitability for womens foundation garments having their upper portions formed by a brassire.

The general object of my invention is the provision of a simple, effective, comfortable and inexpensive construction in a foundation garment.

Among the more particular objects of my invention is the provision in a foundation garment of stretchable sections so disposed in relation to the other sections of the garment as to form therewith a fashioned body part that will tend to correct faulty posture in the wearer, will readily adapt itself to the contours of the body, will offer little resistance to the movements thereof, and will minimize the tendency to creep or ride whereby it will provide a high degree of comfort to the wearer. At the same time it will have constricting and even reducing effects.

A further object of my invention is to provide in a garment of the foundation type elastic straps or bands directed and disposed so as to give fashioning, supporting and form-controlling effects and more particularly, elastic bands extending along the side of the body from the pubic region diagonally downwardly and rearwardly over the upper portion of the thigh and across the adjacent buttock toward the lower end of the spine, and further elastic bands extending laterally from the pubic region. diagonally upwardly and rearwardly, so as to support the lower lateral portions of the abdomen.

Further my invention aims to correct faulty posture by the provision of a cupped rear section adapted to receive the buttocks and elastic bands extending forwardly 'from the base of said cupped portion, thereby lifting the body from below the end of the spine and forcing it to take. a more erect posture.

It is also among the objects of my invention to provide in a foundation garment an elastic section the various portions of which vary in the elastic characteristics, and more particularly the portions of which vary in stretchability in different directions, both as to this characteristic vin the portion itself and in comparison with this characteristic in other portions of the elastic section.

Another object of my invention isthe provision in a foundation garment of elastic sections comprising portions of elastic fabric that overlap each other in part, whereby these overlapping portions will constitute reinforced elastic sections that will impart desirable characteristics to the elastic section.

Among the objects of my invention is further the provision in a foundation garment of fabric portions that have elastic warps but inelastic llings, or vice versa, whereby they have a maximum of stretch in one direction and a minimum of stretch in a direction at right angles thereto, individual fabric portions having their elastic threads running in a direction different from that of adjoining elastic fabric portions, and further having areas thereof disposed in overlapping secured relation to areas of adjoining elastic fabric portions, whereby the overlapping areas form reinforced fabric portions having the elastic threads of the layers thereof running in different directions.

These objects and such other objects as will hereinafter appear or be pointed out are attained inthe illustrative embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings, in which:

Figure i is a perspective view of my improved foundation garment as viewed from the front, and shown in position on a wearer.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of my improved foundation garment as viewed from the back.

Figure 3 is a side elevaitonal view of my improved garment.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken substantially on the line 4 4 of Figure 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 5 is an exploded View of the individual pieces of fabric constituting one of the elastic side sections of my improved foundation garment.

Figure 6 is a view of the parts of Figure 5 assembled and secured together so as to form one of the said elastic sections; and

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional View, on an enlarged scale, taken substantially on the line 1-1 of Figure 6.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, I have shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, various aspects of a foundation garment constructed in accordance with the principles of my invention, said garment having a front section il), a rear section ll and la pair of side sections l2 intermediate said front and rear sections, these side sections being elastic and stretcliable with relative ease in a more or less transverse direction, and being substantially inelastic and non-stretchable in a vertical direction, longitudinally of the body.

The front section iii extends from below the bust to the upper portion of the thighs and is of substantially uniform width. .It is generally of non-stretchablaV inelastic character and may be composed of a facing or outer layer I3 and a lining III. It is shown as having an elastic, stretchable gusset 25 inserted at the lower front portion thereof, to permit relatively unirnpeded movement of the thighs.

Stays I 6 may also be provided, in the abdominal portion of the front section I0 and these maybe covered with tape I? or other suitable material to hide the stays and protect the wearer.

The edges of the front` section I0 are shown suitably hemmed and reinforced with tape as its upper and lower edges, as shown at I3, as well as at its juncture with the adjoining side sections I2 and the gusset I5, as shown at I9, all in the conventional manner.

The back section `I I Yextends in a vertical direction from about the level of the front section I@ to a point below the buttocks. It widens in the region of the buttocks and thereafter becomes narrower, so as to provide a pocket or cupped conformation in this region. To effect `this the side edges of this section are contoured along a compound curve to match the corresponding edges of the side sections I2.

While this section, like the front section is also .n

in general inelastic and non-stretching, comprising an outer or facing section 2i! and a lining section 2l (see Figure 4) it is shown provided with a gusset Z2 near its upper edge to permit free movement of the shoulders and upper portions of the body, this gusset being elastic and being stretchable transversely -of the back piece, that is'in a horizontal direction, but not in a vertical direction. To provide eXtra streng-th at the edge of this gusset the edge portions of the material thereof may be doubled over.

The back piece II, like the front piece I0, may be suitably hemmed and taped at its top and bottom edges as shown at 24, and at the seams joining it to adjacent pieces and to the gusset 22, as shown at 25.

The side sections I2 are each compounded from a plurality of pieces of stretchable, elastic material. Since it is desired to have stretchability of the fabric in one direction only, this materiali may be a woven fabric having elastic warp threads and inelastic filling threads, or vice versa. The pieces of fabric in each section I2 are disposed with their elastic threads positioned in a generally horizontal or transverse direction although departing somewhat therefrom as-will appear later, but each individual piece has the direction of its elastic threads determined so as to be most effective in obtaining fashioned conveXly and concavely warped surface contours. rection of these elastic and posture correction threads in adjoining pieces are therefore made to differ from each other, as can be seen by. reference to Figures 5 and 6, in which the pieces 26, 2l, 2li, E9 and Si) constituting a section I2 are shown separated and in assembled relation, respectively.

As can best be seen from Figure 6 the pieces constituting the section I2 are arranged in two vertically extending rows. 23, named from top to bottom, constitute the forward row, which will be hereinafter referred to as the abdominal portion of the section I2, while the pieces 29 and 30, the latter lying lowermost, constitute the rear row of the section I2, which will hereinafterbe referred to as the. dorsal portion of the section I 2.

In Figures 5 and, 6 the. direction of the elastic threads of the Various pieces` of section I2 has bfeaindisatedbr ub-slings crossing iheipieces- The pieces 26, 2'! and It will be observed that all of the pieces constituting the section I2 are of quadrilateral conformation, using that term in a broad sense to include four-sided figures having curved, as well as flat sides. By joining edges of dissimilar curvature Kboth in the pieces constituting the section I2, as well as in the pieces to which this section is united, I am enabled to give normal form-fitting concavely and convexly warped surface contours to the sections I2 and the adjoining sections.

Y By referring to Figure 6 it will be observed that the pieces 26 and 2l are secured together in such a way that a portion thereof overlaps to form a band 3| consisting of two layers of fabric. Again the pieces 2T and 2B overlap so as to form a band 32 consisting of two layers of fabric, and the pieces 29 and Sil overlap so as to form a band 33 consisting of two layers cf fabric. It will further be observed that the band forms a continuation of the band 32.

These various pieces are secured together in any suitable or preferred manner. I have shown zigzag stitching 3d uniting edge portions of various sections so as to form the bands SI, 32 and 33, and, stitching 35 unites the abdominal portion of section I2 to the dorsal portion thereof so as to form the seam 36, while stitching 31 secures tape 33 over the hem formed by the abutting ends of the abdominal and dorsal sections.

As shown in Figure l a stay 39, of any desired length, may also be superposed on the fabric at the seam lThe stay 3@ may be of any desired length; in practice I have found a stay four or five inches long, positioned at the uppermost portions of the seam 3S satisfactory for ordinary purposes.

In Figure 4 I have further shown a tape 4I) of pile fabric, such as velvet, positioned over the stay 39 to provide extra padding at this point.

It has already been remarked that the various pieces constituting the section I 2 may have their elastic threads disposed in different directions so as to attain most fully the form` fitting and form shaping, posture correcting and supporting aims of my invention. Referring again to Figures 5 and 6, it will be observed that the elastic threads in the pieces 2t, 28 and 3@ are shown laid almost in a horizontal direction, while the pieces. 2l and 2S have their elastic threads laid so as to have a vconsiderable slope in a downward and rearward direction.

It has also been remarked that the direction of the elastic threads marked the direction of maximum stretch of the fabric. By providing overlappingV sections, such asl the section 3|, at the juncture of two pieces of fabric that have their elastic threads running at an angle to each other, it will be observed that a reinforced section of double strength is provided in which the direction of maximum stretch lies intermediate the maximum stretch directions of ther two component fabrics. The doubled over section therefore serves to form a transition in the maximum stretch direction from that of one piece to that of the other and thereby greater smoothness in the iitof the garment is obtained.

Referring again to the reinforcing function` of the bands 3|, 32 and 33, it Will be observed that the band 3| is upwardly andA rearwardly directed, and serves to support the lower lateral. abdominal wall, while the bands 32 and 33 form in effect a single, continuousband that passes downwardly and rearwardly across the front upper portions of the thighs and; connects. 'at the. rear with the buttock-supporting cupped portions of the rear section l2, thereby serving to support as well as to constrict and shape the buttocks and the front upper thigh portions, as well as to lift the body from below the end of ther spine, which automatically forces the gure to take a more erect posture, straightening the spine from the neck down, and the chest is unconsciously raised and the organs in the abdomen fall back.

It is to be noted that the forward ends of the bands 3l and 32 are shown as commencing in the pubic region substantially at the level of the hip bone.

It will be understood that if desired, for particular purposes, the pieces 26, 21, 28, 29 and 39 may be made of fabric having different elastic characteristics rather than all being of the same kind of fabric, as has been assumed in the foregoing description. It will be further understood that the disposition of the elastic threads, as well as the shapes of the pieces, which have been generally described and will now be described in greater detail, may be varied to suit particular purposes, and that the disclosure herein is only by way of illustration.

The piece 26 is shown in Figure 5 as having a top edge 26a that slopes very slightly upwardly and forwardly, while its bottom edge 26h slopes upwardly and rearwardly, thereby determining the slope of the band 3l. The side edge 26e is shown as straight and very slightly divergent in a downward direction from the side edge 26d, which is shown as slightly concaved.

The piece 21 has its top edges 21a and 21bdiverging rearwardly, the edge 21a sloping upwardly and the edge 21h sloping downwardly and determining the slope of band 32. The side edges 21e and 21d diverge slightly in a downward direction.

The piece 28 has its upper and lower edges 28a and 28h sloping downwardly and rearwardly, the former more so than the latter, and the edge 28e diverges slightly in a downward direction from the edge 28d, which is shown slightly concaved at its lower portion.

The piece 29 may be described generally as of leg-of-mutton conformation, with a top edge 29a sloping slightly upwardly and rearwardly and its lower edge 29h sloping downwardly and rearwardly and its slope determining the slope of the band 33. The edge 29o is very slightly compound- 1y curved, being slightly convex at its upper portion, while the edge 29d has a pronounced compound curve and diverges downwardly and rearwardly from the edge 29c.

The piece 30 has downwardly and rearwardly sloping top and bottom edges 30a and 30h, the former sloping downwardly more than the latter. The edges 30o and 30d are substantially parallel, but the former is slightly concave, while the latter is convex.

At 4I I have shown a stay positioned at the seam between sections Il and I2. This stay may be similar to the stay 39 already described, that is, it extends only a short distance down from the upper edge of the aforementioned seam.

At 46 are shown the clasp portions of hose supporters mounted slidably on short elastic stisps 41 each having one end secured to the front section I and its other end to the elastic side section l2. In this manner the elastic side section contributes to the elastic support of the stocking.

Hose supporters having clasps 48 are provided at the sides; the ends of the short elastic straps 49 thereof are connected one on each side of the seam 36 to the sections 28 and 3), respectively.

Hose supporters having clasps 5G slidably supported by relatively long elastic straps 5| are provided at the lower parts of seams 25, uniting sections l2 and il. One end of each strap el is hung from the lower edge of one elastic section l2 spaced somewhat from seam 25, while the other end of each strap lil is hung from a point 52 in the inelastic section il spaced some distance above its lower edge. I have obtained satisfactory results in practice for a spacing of point 52 about three inches above the lower edge of section il. It will be observed that by this manner of support the strap 52 is given an angular inclination across seam 25. lWhen so hung the hose supporter will not disturb the contours of the garment, and will contribute effectively to prevent creeping of the garment.

While I have herein disclosed one illustrative embodiment of my invention it will be understood that my invention may be embodied in many other forms, as will be obvious to those skilled in the art. It will further be understood that the disclosure herein is by way of illustration merely and is not to be interpreted in a limitingsense, and that I do not intend to limit myself other than as called for by the prior art and the language of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. In a foundation garment, an elastic section at the side of said garment, said section being constituted by a plurality of pieces, and a pair of rsaidpieces. being secured together in overlapping relation so as to form a band of double thickness material and of substantially uniform width extending from the pubic region diagonally upwardly and rearwardly, whereby it supports the lower lateral abdominal portions.

2. In a foundation garment, an elastic section at the side of said garment, said section being constituted by a plurality of pieces, and certain of said pieces having their end portions secured together in overlapping relation so as to form a pair of bands of double thickness material and of substantially uniform width commencing at a point in the pubic region approximately at the level of the hip bone, and one running diagonally upwardly and rearwardly and the other running diagonally downwardly and rearwardly.

3. A body encasing garment having an inelastic rear section of cupped conformation so as to receive the buttocks therewithin, an inelastic front section, an elastic section intermediate said inelastic sections on each side of said garment and an elastic reinforcement integral with each elastic section and running upwards and forwards on each side of said garment from a point at the base of the buttocks, whereby the bodv is lifted from below the spine into a more erect posture.

4. A body encasing garment having an inelastic front section, an inelastic rear section, cupped to receive the buttocks, and an elastic band on each side running diagonally upwards and forwards between said inelastic sections commencing at the base of the buttocks and ending approximately at the level of the hip bone, and a second elastic band on each side commencing at the front inelastic section at a point above the first band and running diagonally upwardly and rearwardly, and an elastic connection between said second band and said inelastic rear section.

CARRIE S. MCMICHAEL. 

